The Joint Parliamentary Committee on 2G spectrum allocation has concluded that Attorney General G E Vahanvati was aware of the procedure approved by the Department of Telecommunication on first-come-first served criteria in file notings.
The prime minister wasn't comfortable with the series of events in the coal block allotment scam probe, including the uncontested detailed letter sent by Additional Solicitor General Harin P Raval (who quit on Tuesday) to Attorney General Goolam E Vahanvati recalling every instance much to the embarrassment of the government, reports Rakesh Bhatnagar
The government on Tuesday sought to downplay the political storm created by Additional Solicitor General Harin Rawal's letter accusing Attorney General G E Vahanvati of trying to interfere in the Central Bureau of Investigation's probe report on coal scam.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Altamas Kabir sought response from the Centre and the three intelligence wings for bringing the agencies under the oversight of Parliament and the Comptroller and Auditor General.
Law Minister Ashwani Kumar on Thursday met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, a day after the Supreme Court pulled up the government on the probe into the coal allocation scam.
Law Minister Ashwani Kumar's fate hung in balance as the Supreme Court takes on record on Tuesday CBI Director's affidavit and the agency's status report on the coal blocks allocation scam that was shared with the minister and senior officials of PMO and Coal ministry.
Former Telecom Minister A Raja, the main accused in 2G spectrum scam, has told the Joint Parliamentary Committee that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was in the loop over policy decisions and has accused Attorney General G E Vahanvati of telling a "series of untruths" against him.
Temporary relief for Bharti, Vodafone and former telecom secretary Shyamal Ghosh
Appearing before a bench of justices K S Radhakrishanan and Deepak Misra, Attorney General G E Vahanvati said the Kudankulam plant is absolutely safe beyond all doubts and all the apprehensions are misplaced.
Central Bureau of Investigation Director Ranjit Sinha on Monday compounded the woes of Attorney General G E Vahanvati by claiming in his affidavit to the Supreme Court that the top law officer not only "glanced" through the draft status report but also suggested changes in them.
In a slow-moving justice delivery system, the fact that Law Minister Ashwani Kumar is still in the government is not surprising. In the sound and fury of the war between Attorney General G E Vahanvati and Additional Solicitor General Harin Rawal, the most important factor is not being given enough attention.
Additional Solicitor General Harin Rawal, in a tersely-written letter to his boss and Attorney General G E Vahanvati, accusing him of messy handling of the CBI in the coal scam investigation, and sparking speculation that the latter may recuse himself from the case. Sheela Bhatt reports.
Days after the Supreme Court cancelled 122 licenses for 2G spectrum, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday held consultations with senior Cabinet colleagues on its impact on the telecom sector and the way forward. The meeting was attended by Finance Minister Paranab Mukherjee, Home Minister P Chidambaram, Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal and Law Minister Salman Khurshid.
He is targeted because he is gone against corportates, says G E Vahanvati.
The Central Bureau of Investigation on Monday moved the Supreme Court seeking its permission to drop certain charges against gangster Abu Salem under TADA and Explosive Substances Act in view of its commitment to Portuguese government at the time of his extradition that he shall not be awarded death penalty or detained in custody for more than 25 years if found guilty.
Attorney General G E Vahanvati on Wednesday told a Delhi court that former Telecom Minister A Raja's letter to the prime minister regarding the DoT's policy to be adopted for 2G spectrum allocation was not based on discussion with him and the then External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee.
In the wake of shocking allegations of spot-fixing in IPL, a new standalone law to deal with such "dishonest practices" in all kinds of sports will be enacted soon.
Vahanvati's clear stand in court on Tuesday that he has not seen the draft copy of the CBI status report on the coal scam investigation means that there is some design behind his stand? The next stage of the drama will unfold CBI to file its version before the apex court on May 6. Sheela Bhatt reports.
Senior advocate Goolam E Vahanvati was appointed as the new Attorney General on Monday, the country's top law officer.
Sources in the JPC said that panel Chairman P C Chacko is set to tell Raja that instead of appearing before JPC as a witness, he can submit a "rebuttal note" on the statement made by Attorney General G E Vahanvati before the Committee that the controversial press note regarding 2G licences was changed at the last minute by the former telecom minister in 2008 with a different pen.
Without issuing notice to the Centre, a bench of justices R M Lodha and A R Dave asked the petitioner to serve the copy of the petition to Attorney General G E Vahanvati or Solicitor General Rohinton Nariman saying it needs some necessary clarification on the issue.
The government on Wednesday clarified its stand on homosexuality before the Supreme Court, saying it is in favour of decriminalisation of gay sex and the Delhi high court verdict is acceptable to it.
The Supreme Court on Friday declined to entertain the Centre's request to defer till next year its July 23 order limiting the government's discretionary quota for Haj pilgrims.
The Centre on Thursday submitted to the Supreme Court that it is not possible to supply additional power, surrendered by Delhi, to Tamil Nadu. The Centre told a bench headed by Chief Justice Altamas Kabir that power grid in the state has not got the ability for absorbing the power.
The Supreme Court reserved its verdict on petitions challenging the appointment of former bureaucrat P J Thomas, who is facing a corruption case in a Kerala court, as Central Vigilance Commissioner.
The Centre on Monday strongly defended the appointment of controversial bureaucrat P J Thomas as the central vigilance commissioner, saying he was an 'outstanding officer' with 'impeccable integrity'. In an affidavit in the Supreme Court cleared by Attorney General G E Vahanvati, the government also said there was no need for 'consensus' of the three-member high powered committee on CVC's appointment.
Challenging various orders of the Delhi high court and the Central Information Commission (CIC) asking the Apex court to reveal information held by the Chief Justice of India, Attorney General G E Vahanvati, appearing for the Supreme Court, contended that all information held by the CJI cannot be made public.
SC also wanted to know why DoT ignored TRAI's recommendations on effective utilization of the spectrum.
The government on Thursday told the Supreme Court that once a bureaucrat is given a vigilance nod for appointment as secretary, no further clearance is required for empanelment for appointment as the central vigilance commissioner. "Once a person is appointed as secretary on clearance by the CVC, he can be considered for empanelment and no further inquiry is required," Attorney General G E Vahanvati submitted before a bench headed by Chief Justice S H Kapadia.
The CBI has claimed that Essar had more than 10 per cent of cross-holdings in Loop Telecom which was against the norms, a charge denied by the two companies.
The finance ministry has initiated steps under which the Swiss Federal Court of Justice would be requested to ensure that information on specific accounts is provided by April 1, 2011.
The Supreme Court on Monday rejected the plea of the central government to allow Lafarge, the French mining giant, to resume limestone mining in Meghalaya. It also ordered a fresh, and fast, environmental impact assessment.
Attorney General G E Vahanvati on Friday recommended that impeachment motion to remove Justice Soumitra Sen as the judge of the Calcutta High Court must go on in the Lok Sabha despite his resignation.
The government on Thursday told the Supreme Court that the issue of a chargesheet against Central Vigilance Commissioner P J Thomas in a corruption case and the sanction granted by the Kerala government for his prosecution were not brought before the high-powered committee for selecting a candidate for the post.This was stated by Attorney General Goolam E Vahanvati before a bench headed by Chief Justice S H Kapadia.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday questioned the Central Bureau of Investigation for approaching it 16 years after it had diluted in September 1996 the charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder against the accused in the Bhopal gas tragedy case.
The government on Friday informed the Supreme Court that it will set aside its order directing scam-hit information technology firm Satyam Computer to pay Rs 617 crore (Rs 6.17 billion) as income tax and will give a fresh hearing to the firm's plea challenging the tax demand.
The office of Attorney General Goolam E Vahanvati has said he had offered advice as solicitor general to the then External Affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee and Telecom minister A Raja in 2007 on 2G spectrum issues but it was not written and there is no copy of it.
Mellowing down its earlier stand that no information with the Chief Justice of India could be revealed under RTI Act, the Supreme Court agreed on Tuesday to disclose information on what action the CJI has taken on a complaint filed against a sitting Allahabad High Court Judge.
The Supreme Court on Friday asked Attorney General G E Vahanvati to apprise it about the status of a complaint filed in May last year against former chief justice of India and chairman of the National Human Rights Commission K G Balakrishnan, seeking a probe by the CBI into his assets. "What is the status of the complaint forwarded to the ministry of home affairs," a bench headed by Chief Justice S H Kapadia sought to know.
The Supreme Court on Friday said judges cannot be put under public scrutiny as it would hamper their functioning and independence.
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